Whether you want to protect your privacy or are simply looking for a new way to communicate, it is convenient for you to know Kik Messenger, an app that, unlike others, does not require your phone number. Are you interested? This is all there is to know about it.
What is Kik Messenger
In simple words, it is a free instant messaging and social media application that uses your phone’s data plan or Wi-Fi connection to send messages to other users, without the need for an SMS system. It is available for iOS, Android, and Amazon (Kindle Fire).
While Kik isn’t the only one offering similar features, it sets itself apart with a distinctive but controversial effort to target a specific demographic – Kik appeals to the teen crowd due to its emphasis on privacy and anonymity. As of 2016, Kik Messenger had about 300 million registered users and was used by approximately 40 percent of teens in the United States. It has not disclosed any user figures since 2016.
The trick is that you don’t have to register your phone number with Kik, you only need your name and an email, which gives you an extremely private activity: you only identify yourself with the registration username. Only with that ID, Kik allows you to exchange messages, photos, videos, drawings, stickers, and more with other users. While this attracts teenagers (the official minimum age is 13), it also brings some safety concerns.
With a username instead of a phone number, you do not share your personal information with others. No one can see your email, phone number, or date of birth, although within a Kik group members can see your username. Another function allows you to find contacts on the platform that match the emails or numbers you have on your phone.
Kik features
The application looks similar to an SMS messaging application, but with a number of additional features. Like most of these systems, Kik sends notifications to inform you when the message was sent, when it was received, and if it was read. You can customize the alerts with different tones and you can also apply themes to your chats. Another feature tells you in real-time when a contact is responding.
Kik really stands out for its social media integration. You can use Kik to invite friends or family via SMS, email, Facebook, or Twitter. If the friends you have stored as contacts on your phone sign up for the service, Kik detects that they are online and sends you notifications to get you online. You can also join public groups organized according to themes. Additionally, Kik has introduced a Meet New People feature that allows you to enter chats with other Kik users based on their interests. For those who want to find people on kik using their kik usernames, there are many services out there.
Is Kik for you?
Kik is designed to attract teens with features to interact and have fun online. It is not for everyone. The company has taken the initiative in recent years to reach out to parents and law enforcement authorities, as well as other users, to protect the safety of the very young. More than ever, on Kik you must take extreme preventive measures, such as avoiding chatting with strangers, not meeting physically with strangers, avoid giving too much information about yourself, and properly supervising children.